UTSA vs. McNeese St., 3 p.m. Saturday

Settled in arguably their best groove of the season, the Roadrunners turned their attention to defense in advance of Saturday’s Southland Conference championship matchup with McNeese St.

Specifically, how to slow a potent offensive team that produced five double-figure scorers in Thursday’s 91-83 semifinal victory over Texas State. Ranging from slasher Patrick Richard (16 points per game) to designated shooter Diego Kapelan (2.6 3-pointers per game) to athletic post P.J. Alawoya (10.3 points, 10.2 rebounds per game), the Cowboys boast arguably the most balanced lineup in the Southland.

“We’re going to have to mix it up,” UTSA coach Brooks Thompson said. “They’re a very good offensive minded team, a great one-on-one team. If we’re allowing them to drive on us, they’ll break us down and we won’t be successful. They’re a very unselfish team. They’re very balanced. They push it hard in transition. They’re a very dangerous team.”

UTSA contained the Cowboys in the only meeting of the season, a 65-61 Roadrunners victory on Feb. 17 in which McNeese shot only 31 percent from the field. Though he shot poorly as well, UTSA point guard Devin Gibson overpowered his counterpart, C.J. Collins, for 20 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds while earning 16 free throws. His tournament production (27 points, 10.5 rebounds, eight assists per game) has been even better, drawing a wary assessment from McNeese coach Dave Simmons.

“Hopefully we can contain him because he can control a basketball game,” he said. “They have a lot of guys besides Devin Gibson, but he’s the key to their success. We didn’t control him the first time, so hopefully we can come up with a game plan for him.”

Conversely, Thompson and Simmons both said the Roadrunners will likely need a more democratic approach with their defensive approach.

“”When we can get five guys in double-figures, we’re hard to beat,” Simmons said. “We’ve got some matchup problems they’ve got to face up also. They have to match up with Pat (and) Diego. We’re excited about it.”

* Backup wing Sei Paye continued his recent strong play with 12 points, four rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes off the bench against Sam Houston St. An offensive liability for most of the season, Paye is averaging 11.5 points in the tournament on 8-for-9 shooting after scoring seven points in the waning minutes of UTSA’s must-win at UT-Arlington last weekend.

“He’s playing as well as I’ve seen him play,” Thompson said. “He was really good in high school, but he’s gained a lot of confidence. He’s making shots, he’s getting to the basket. He’s played really well.”

* Thompson said freshman center T.J. Williams will miss his second straight game with a sprained knee. The Roadrunners probably won’t miss him if they can get anything close to what third-string post Alex Vouyoukas gave them in the semifinals — seven points, four rebounds and one blocked shot in 12 minutes. Vouyoukas had averaged just 0.7 points and 0.2 rebounds in conference play. The junior from Athens by way of Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College also drew a charge and fed Jeromie Hill with a cross-court pass that Hill couldn’t convert at the rim.

“You have to give credit to Alex because he stays ready,” Thompson said. “I didn’t say he doesn’t make mistakes. But we put him in a tough situation, the conference semifinal without playing much, and he was ready.”

* Though UTSA athletic director Lynn Hickey is confined to Indianapolis for her work with the NCAA men’s basketball committee, Thompson said they’ve been exchanging text messages during UTSA’s odyssey through the Southland tournament. “She’s really excited,” he said. “I guarantee she wishes she was here, but she loves that committee stuff.”